Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Review: Injustice #24

In many ways, I feel remiss in not collecting Injustice 2 on a monthly basis.

I came at that decision honestly. I am not a video game player. I am sick to death of Elseworlds where Lois is killed and Superman a fascist. So the basic premise seemed off. So not pulled.

And yet, I keep hearing that Supergirl ends up the hero of the piece. And I absolutely loved what Tom Taylor did on All-New Wolverine. And I have, based on cover and buzz, picked up the odd issue here and there and really enjoyed the book. For example, Injustice 2 #13.

And so I decided when I saw the cover of Injustice 2 #24 a couple of weeks ago that it was worth picking up. I am so glad I did. It is almost the perfect to pick up after Injustice 2 #13 because the seeds of Kara's heroics planted in that story come to fruition here. And with a lot of panache.

Taylor gives us a world under assault from Amazo and there is only one hero out there to save the day ... Supergirl. And that plot will always make me happy.

Bruno Redondo is on art and that name is new to me. He brings a clean style to the proceedings but with some nice flourishes here and there which elevate the work.

If you are a Supergirl fan, you should pick this one up.

I don't know any of the hows but the issue opens with a super-powered Amazo on a rampage, stomping his way across Earth and through its heroes. From her tower, Supergirl can look on no longer. She needs to finally embrace her destiny as hero and head out into action.

There is something fairy tale princess-ish about the girl locked in the tower, not allowed to leave that brought a bit of Silver Age to this part of her story. She is the secret weapon, not allowed to reveal herself.

So seeing her assert herself and leave the tower on her own was just great. I love the stern look on her face as she reveals the S-shield, her true self, no longer hidden.

And that round window in the background gives this a sort of Renaissance 'portrait of a saint' feeling. What a stellar page.

The Amazons have been training Kara and so when they see her in her fighting togs, they ask what she is up to.

When she says she is leaving and joining the fight and help. they admit it is about time. The 'to help' line is a classic Superman trope, his answer when he is asked why he is here. So seeing that come from Kara in this story where Kal is the villain is wonderful turnabout. That is hammered home with the 'up up and away' line as well.

Most of the heroes don't know Supergirl even exists. So when a blue streak scoops up Amazo and takes him up into space, most are confused. As they know, there is only one being out that who can do that ... presumably Superman.

I couldn't help but be reminded of Batman v Superman, where Superman tries to take Doomsday up into space but is nuked. Who shoots down someone trying to help? Don't ask that question in a Snyder movie.

Still, that top panel with Supergirl and Amazo in the top corner, the tilted Earth behind them, really evokes a feeling of speed and lift.

She plops him on the moon and there is a bit of a tussle. She gets some help from the folks on Earth. But ultimately it is her fight.

She freezes him and then shatters him.

Again, there is a lot of kinetic energy to that top panel with speed lines, Kara's blow, and the exploding head all moving in that direction.

But the real win is the next panel pulling back in an extreme way so we see just how high that battle was. More importantly, the Earth looms in the background reminding us this was a fight to save the planet.

Wonderful.

Blue Beetle, as another hero who can survive space, witnesses the fight after being trounced by Amazo himself. He didn't know Kara existed.

She says the now immortal line 'The world has a freaking Supergirl.'

Now that is an ending!

Just fantastic.

For me, it resonated a bit with the classic Watchmen bit 'The Superman exists! And he's American.'

Maybe it's a stretch but that is what I thought of.

No surprise Tom Taylor brings it. Redondo amps up the action nicely. And this was a great introduction of Supergirl to the world.

I've been following the story, but am generally only buying the issues with Supergirl.

There's refreshing freedom and topsy-turvy twists that make "Elseworld" stories a fun respite from the more restrictive story-telling you find in regular continuity.

So, here is what I have uncovered about Supergirl appearances in Injustice, though much of it is derived from the character lists at dc.wikia.com and may be incomplete:

First, there's a bittersweet "imaginary" tale in "Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Three" #7. This is after the main, horrifying catastrophe of the tale. In this, Clark is in a reverie and dreams of a life with Lois that is never to be, and their infant Lara Lane Kent, who grows into a young Supergirl. (I suppose earlier issues might show how he fell into this reverie.) So, this is a kind of sweet Elseworld inside the brutal Elseworld.

In "Injustice 2," by my count Supergirl has so far appeared in:

#1 - cover only#6#13#15#16#21#22#24#25 (released 5/2 - on 3 pages)

I'm not a gamer, but have watched some game footage on YouTube. Kara has a good story. The game offers lots of costume variants, but very, very few videos show Supergirl in a classic skirt. Takes some searching to find them, and the YouTube algorithm is so weird that though found once, you may never find them again unless you bookmark them.

Seems you have to earn variant costume elements (or maybe buy them) to get that - so, the majority of the videos have something like the version you see in the comic.

In other news relevant to today, DC has pulled a fast one with Wonder Woman 48. The solicits show Supergirl and Jessica Cruz on the 48a cover; the actual book, out today, features two male characters - Jason and someone else - in their places.

Supergirl and Cruz are still featured on the 48b cover as far as I know. The variant is "out of stock" at Midtown Comics, though that could mean anything.

"In other news relevant to today, DC has pulled a fast one with Wonder Woman 48. The solicits show Supergirl and Jessica Cruz on the 48a cover; the actual book, out today, features two male characters - Jason and someone else - in their places."

Oh, for the God's sake!

Also off topic, but I've just read Man of Steel #3. I'll not spoil anything, but I'm impressed with Superman name-dropping Kandorians: Lesla-Lar, Van-Zee -and his family!-, Ak-Var... Bendis is definitely showing off Pre-Crisis knowledge here.

Agree with your sentiments Anj, I'm not a console gamer, and the whole "heroes go evil" backstory isn't my cup of tea,but since your post here -- http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2016/06/injustice-2-supergirl.html -- of there beinga representation of Supergirl in (another) media, and watching the game in Story Mode, I'd have to say get this justfor that.

Ignoring the bad bits, the fact that the portrayal of Supergirl hits all the right notes, I can put up with the bad bits...

I think Tom Taylor's Injustice is constantly in the top 3 things out every week.

But having said that, far from all issues are in the spirit of the one you reviewed. The Injustice comics is as good as anything comes, but that means nothing if one isn't ok with the theme. My suggestion would be to pick up one TP. If you like it, you will keep liking it. If not, this comic is just not for you.

Second anon back - the interactions with Blue Beetle are terrific, and there's more of a a heartfelt interaction between them on those few pages in #25. So I shouldn't have downplayed that it's just 3 pages.

And later, in #25, Jaime keeps a promise he makes to her on the moon.

I like Kara's slowly growing set of secret alliances and her secret weapon status at this point of the story.

Shades of Silver Age Supergirl's secret weapon status? Sure. The way Black Adam found her in #6 is reminiscent of that too (though one wonders why she is expecting to be found by "Kal-El").

I don't know when Supergirl will be reappearing in the title. Not until at least digital installment #62, which should be released as a comic on 8/1. There are so many characters in the Injustice 2 game to include. Lanterns, Guardians, Logo, Booster Gold and Titans are upcoming. My beloved Bleez, Zox and Dex appear. Cassie too, I think.

I keep hoping Bleez will be Supergirl's upcoming companion in space, but don't know if she is even still alive or active in current continuity.

I'd say all of this material continues to be fun, even if Supergirl will be out of the picture for at least part of the summer and the title will be "beyond the traditional scope" of your blog.

I'd still like you to review Gotham City Garage, which is a veritable romp compared to the dysfunctional world of Injustice 2. Even if you don't like the tattoos, they have meaning to the story, and are far more subtle than the statue. Gotta love the deep friendship of Babs and Kara in the title, though it is tested due to a misunderstanding. Wish we had more of that classic teamup in modern continuity. And the awesome mid-title appearance of the legendary Wonder Woman works. The ending of the title may be worth the entire 12-issue story.

Has Amazon resumed shipping softcovers in cardboard packaging? Over the last year they have been shipping TPBs in regular envelopes, and 100% of them arrive creased. I returned many, and gave up ordering TPBs from Amazon entirely.

Can usually find secure packaging from booksellers on eBay, or mail order from mycomicshop, midtown, or tfaw. Often discounted, but then there are shipping charges. Worth it, to me. mycomicshop charges a flat fee for shipping, regardless of weight, so it pays to order a bunch of stuff at once.

Some good news to report: Supergirl may have been replaced on the Wonder Woman 48a cover, but is featured on several pages after all,more than I would have expected, and remains part of the striking Jenny Frison variant cover. Whether the story is any good remains to be seen - I cheated and flipped through the book.

Story is ok, the writing (and I say that as someone who also lovingly reads comics made for kids) is BAD. I mean like really, really bad. Given that this is James Robinson who has been in the business for a long time, I try to convince myself that it is just me who thinks that, but I don't know. Either way I found the issue an eyesore to read. Not even my love for Supergirl could save it.